Metro Life Score
Battle Creek, MI
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B+, 74th percentile of the national corpus.
- 55.5
- Life Score / 100
- B+
- Grade (curved)
- #101
- of 387 metros
- 74%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Battle Creek is above-median composite Life Score — #101 of 387 (55.5/100, grade B+, 74th percentile). Carried by childcare at 83/100; held back most by environment at 9/100.
- 74th
- composite percentile
- #101
- of 387 peers
- 72nd
- cost dimension percentile
- 56th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · UPPER · BALANCED · signature composite
Battle Creek: top-third composite Life Score
Battle Creek clears the top third of US metros on composite Life Score (#101 of 387, 55.5/100, grade B+, 73rd percentile). Stamps UPPER · BALANCED; cost CHEAP (72nd) · wages MID (56th). Childcare at 83/100 carries the lead; Environment (9/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Battle Creek, MI ranks #101 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #109 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 90.5 (rent-RPP 61.0). BLS median salary $65,204, 48,040 jobs (Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Registered Nurses). HUD 2BR FMR $1,176/mo (studio $833).
FBI UCR (MI): 431 violent, 1395 property/100K. NCES: 16.7:1 ratio, 10.9% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,444/yr. EPA: 90 Superfund sites (MI).
Where Battle Creek sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
56 74th percentile higher than 74% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · August 2026
How the 55.5 is built
Battle Creek's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Battle Creek scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are MI state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Battle Creek With...
Ranking Context
Battle Creek outranks 74% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #98 | Wichita, KS | 55.6 | B+ |
| #99 | Lima, OH | 55.6 | B+ |
| #100 | Muncie, IN | 55.7 | B+ |
| #101 | Battle Creek, MI | 55.5 | B+ |
| #102 | Canton-Massillon, OH | 55.5 | B+ |
| #103 | Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH | 55.5 | B+ |
| #104 | Tuscaloosa, AL | 55.5 | B+ |
Quality vs. Affordability
Battle Creek, MI's quality rank (top 26% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 28% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
MI Metro Scores
Read with Battle Creek
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Battle Creek (UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/MID), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Canton-Massillon, OH
ABS(composite) peer at 55.5 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/MID.
Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH
ABS(composite) peer at 55.5 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/MID.
Tuscaloosa, AL
ABS(composite) peer at 55.5 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/MID.
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN
ABS(composite) peer at 55.4 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/MID.
Elizabethtown, KY (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 72/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Springfield, OH (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 72/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Battle Creek, MI relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/MID - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Battle Creek's top-third Life Score
Battle Creek scores 55.5/100 overall, but Childcare (82.9) and Environment (9.1) sit 73.9 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Childcare is the strongest of Battle Creek's seven dimensions (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Environment is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Midland is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Midland
A high composite is a weighted blend; it does not mean every dimension is strong.